Last night at Barnet Council’s committee meeting councillors voted to pass Cllr Linda Lusingu’s motion ensuring Black History Month is fully recognised and that funding is allocated to support it.

The motion calls for Barnet’s diverse communities and organisations to be supported to promote events throughout the month of October every year and given access to funding, with a programme of events co-designed with schools, headteachers and council officers.

Another part of the work would be to use it as a learning opportunity to help further inform the Council’s long-term strategy on diversity and inclusion.

Cllr Linda Lusingu, said:

“Black History Month is a great way to celebrate the work of local community groups and organisations that support minority ethnic groups in our borough and to promote integration and respect in our communities.

“It is also more than just a month for black history. From the slave trade, Britain’s colonial past to migration and music, Black History Month is also the history of white people and should be recognised throughout the year.

“The theme for Black History Month this year is Time for Change: Action Not Words. In that spirit, we want to focus on ensuring we acknowledge and learn from the past, but also work to improve the future, through action, not just words.”

Black History Month recognises and celebrates the contributions of black people to the economic, cultural and political life in the UK. First celebrated in 1987, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo, who worked as special projects coordinator for the Greater London Council is credited with planning and organising the first one in the country.